VOLUME 17, ISSUE 4, 6 FEBRUARY 2013
PREFERENTIAL AGREEMENTS Questions Linger As EU, US Consider Launching Trade Talks . 1 SERVICES Services Talks Within WTO Member Group Advance, Eyeing Launch of Formal Negotiations ................................ 3 POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Monrovia Meeting Stresses Poverty Eradication, Equity for Post-2015 Agenda ....................... 6 SPECIAL SECTION WTO Director-General’s Race Ramps Up as Candidates Make Their Pitches to Members ........... 9 WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION Laos Joins WTO; Tajikistan Accession Forthcoming ............... 17 AGRICULTURE New Russia, Japan Meat Trade Policies Highlight Food Safety Issues ............................................ 19 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WTO, WHO, WIPO Examine Intersection of Public Health, Intellectual Property, Trade ....... 21 EVENTS & RESOURCES Events ........................................... 23 Resources ..................................... 24
PREFERENTIAL AGREEMENTS
Questions Linger As EU, US Consider Launching Trade Talks Top officials from both the US and EU have been meeting over the past week to discuss the possibility of launching bilateral trade talks, leaving observers and analysts to speculate whether the long-awaited announcement might soon be on the horizon. However, questions remain over whether the two sides will be able to resolve long-standing differences that have blocked such negotiations in the past. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht spent Wednesday in Washington meeting with his counterpart --- US Trade Representative Ron Kirk --- with the goal of putting the finishing touches on a joint report by the EU-US High-Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth, which is expected to include recommendations regarding the potential negotiations. However, these efforts ultimately did not succeed, leaving the release date of the report up in the air. An interim report released in June had found that a broad, comprehensive bilateral deal was the option with ‘‘greatest potential’’ for supporting jobs and fostering economic growth in both trading partners. (See Bridges Weekly, 27 June 2012) While the EU trade chief has said in recent weeks that the final report --- which was originally expected in December --- is nearly ready, the repeated delays have appeared to indicate that Washington might still have concerns. ‘‘We only want to move forward if we are confident that Europeans are as serious as we are about tackling issues that have tripped us up before,’’ Mike Froman --- a trusted Obama adviser who serves as US Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs --- told the Financial Times on Tuesday, adding that Washington does not want to end up mired in protracted negotiations without an end in sight. The two sides have long sparred over issues such as regulations and standards, which stymied efforts to deepen bilateral trade ties in the past. The US and EU currently trade €700 billion annually in goods and services; while already having low tariffs between them, experts note that the lowering of non-tariff barriers and reconciliation of different regulatory regimes could have a significant impact on the volume of bilateral trade. As part of Brussels’ efforts to show Washington that it has the political will needed to address some of these tough topics, the EU decided on Monday to lift its ban on imports of live pigs and of beef carcasses cleaned with lactic acid, while ultimately